Sick as a Parrot

Well, you learn something every day – I thought I was feeling sick as a parrot this morning, but when I looked it up it turns out I’m not. Sick as a parrot, in case I’m not the only one that didn’t know this, means depressed or disappointed about the outcome of something … I thought it just meant feeling sick … and boy do I feel sick!

I guess I shouldn’t be writing about this now because the more you think about this kind of thing, the worse it makes you feel. I think it’s the m-m-m-m-methotrexate as this is the second week in a row that I’ve taken my m-m-m-m-methotrexate on a M-M-M-M-Monday like the good girl I am, only to start feeling rather queasy Tuesday or Wednesday … right up until Friday morning when I take my f-f-f-f-folic acid … let’s see if the same happens this F-F-F-F-Friday.

I guess I could take something to settle my stomach, but my brother and sister-in-law-to-be (aka Mrs Mooseface on my comment section) are getting married in September (00ps, I meant August), and I’m kind of hoping that this might help me lose some weight in time for the wedding. Oh foolish vanity …

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Hi, sorry to hear you feel so crummy! Do you take your folic acid in one big dose, only once a week? If so, you might try taking a smaller dose once a day instead. I take 1mg every day, except on the morning after the evening that I’ve taken my methotrexate. Maybe this might help?

Hi! Like Chelsae, I was wondering about your folic acid dose. It’s been a few years since I took MTX, but I’m pretty sure I took 1mg Folic Acid every day. I also took the MTX injections, I tried the pills, but they didnt work as well for me. That might also make a difference. I don’t remember much nausea, but I do remember my hair thining some, and the folic acid is an important part in fighting that if thats also a problem. Hope that helps!

Like the others, I take my folic acid (in my case 5 mg) every day, EXCEPT the day of my Methotrexate injection (which is 25 mg). Maybe it would help to take yours daily as well?

I did experience ongoing, but not unbearable, nausea for a while (I’ve been on MTX for 11 weeks) but that seems to have disappeared, and except for a couple of weeks of some noticeable hair loss when I combed my hair after a shower in the morning, that’s pretty much it for side effects, as far as I can tell…

Aww Polly — and you were feeling so good a couple of days ago.! I’m with the other commenters on the folic acid thing. Doc told me to day a tab daily when I was on MTX. I sure hope that helps with your nausea. Yuck. As to the weight loss, well, that’s looking on the bright side! Congrats to your brother and soon-to-be SIL. And here’s hoping you’re feeling better very soon!

Thanks everyone – I reckon I do need more folic acid, although perhaps not as much as some, since I’m not as much MTX as some – I only take 15mg. I must see what my folic acid dose is then give the not-so-helpful-line a ring! ;o) In the meantime – maybe I’ll get some weightloss!! I have had this before with the MTX but it passed off in a couple of weeks so i might be fine next week anyway!

Ten months ago, I started treatment for RA with 15 mg of MTX (6×2.5 mg tablets) which, according to my rheumatologist, is a high dose. I take my folic acid (1 mg) every day, even on the day I take MTX, and have never experienced any side effects associated with MTX.

I do hope that changing your folic acid dose/regimen will make you feel better!

I think 15 is kind of middling, or that’s what I’ve been told anyway. I started on 7.5mg which is the lowest dose prescribed for RA and it didn’t do much. I gradually crept up to 15mg and it’s finally helping. While this was going on, research was being published to show that actually it’s not that clever to treat in this way and that patients are far better off to be given a higher dose like 15mg straight away. There’s still room to go up (to I think about 22mg for RA although don’t quote me on that!) if it doesn’t work, but, if you can get them, biologics are probably a better bet if they work for you than really high doses of MTX.

I hope it’s working for you and glad to hear you don’t get any of the side effects! I must have a word with the rheumy nurse and see if I can change my MTX. I wonder if it’s standard in America to take it every day; here it seems to be standard to take it once a week because they reckon it interacts with the MTX otherwise.

From what I understand, it’s standard in the U.S. to take MTX once a week and folic acid every day (except on the day of MTX, for some – I take it every day). My pharmacist (who also happens to be my son) concurs. I am down to 12.5 mg MTX because I am in clinical remission (according to the ACR). Hope you are feeling better soon.
Gisela

3rd Annual RA Blog Week, Author

Healthline Blog Awards 2017

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A bit about me

My name is not Pollyanna and I'm not a penguin. If you'd not worked out the last bit you should probably stop reading this and seek out a psychologist.

This is a blog about me and rheumatoid arthritis - sounds like fun, huh? Well I'm hoping it'll be a bit more fun than it sounds - hence the Pollyanna part. I'm going to try to stay positive about it and play 'Pollyanna's glad game' - finding reasons to be cheerful basically.

If you really want to know more see the 'About me' page.

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